Smithtown: Banfi wine dinner @ Casa Rustica

Two of Long Island's tastiest institutions are coming together on April 20, when the restaurant Casa Rustica hosts a dinner featuring wines from Castello Banfi.

Casa Rustica is one of the region's top Italian restaurants; Banfi Vintners, headquartered in Old Brookville, is a major importer and Castello Banfi its Tuscan producer of excellent wines.

The six-course dinner is $65. Pairings include burrata mozzarella with figs and prosciutto, served with the '08 Le Rime white-wine blend; housemade cheese tortelloni with tomato, pancetta and basil going with the '08 Rosso di Montalcino; pan-seared Atlantic halibut with a cipollini-onion crust matched with the '08 San Angelo Pinot Grigio; and pistachio-and-mustard dusted lamb chops with '05 Castello Banfi Belnero. Dessert is a chocolate-hazelnut torte with the '08 Rosa Regale Brachetto. The intermezzo: housemade limoncello sorbet. Dinner starts at 7 p.m.

Casa Rustica is at 175 W. Main St., Smithtown; 631-265-9265.

Newsday / Michael E. Ach